Sleep disordered breathing, including snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, affects tens of millions of adults in the United States. It is associated with substantial cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, endocrine disturbances, excessive daytime sleepiness, quality of life and performance deficits, and motor vehicle crashes.
Sleep disordered breathing may be associated with decreased airflow during sleep or snoring related to vibration of structures of the head and neck. One or more anatomical structures or factors may contribute to sleep disordered breathing, and these structures may contribute to sleep disordered breathing in different patterns or configurations, resulting in subtypes of structure-specific contributions. Many sleep disordered breathing treatments are anatomical structure- (and, possibly, subtype-) or factor-specific, and the variation in contributing anatomical structures or factors among patients may lead to variable success rates for many treatments.
Patients with sleep disordered breathing may undergo a sleep study that measures a number of signals, including airflow. Current approaches of sleep study signal analysis may not characterize (1) the anatomical structures or factors contributing to sleep disordered breathing or (2) the site of sound production, and they may not be associated with outcomes of specific treatments. Existing invasive and non-invasive upper airway examination techniques also may not provide this information.
There is enthusiasm among clinicians and patients alike for an improved ability to characterize the anatomical structures (including subtypes) or factors contributing to sleep disordered breathing or the site of sound production and to guide the selection of treatments.